December 07, 2014

Sony Pictures’ remake of Annie is set to release in US theaters on Dec 19th! I love how the movie is given a modern and updated take on the classic film, with music that is just as catchy as the first!

Annie has always been a family favorite in our home, and I absolutely LOVE the character of Miss Hannigan in the original, played by Carol Burnett! Her song “Little Girls” is so symbolic of how we’ve felt for years in our home, with 5 little girls running around!

Some women are dripping with diamonds, Some women are dripping with pearls, Lucky me! Lucky me! Look at what I’m dripping with… LITTLE GIRLS!

Now that we have adopted Daxton & Paisley, the movie Annie means even that much more to us! Adoption has been such blessing to us in our home. We are happy that in the new movie and soundtrack, the’ve removed the references to “orphans” in favor of “foster kids”.

In this remake, the very first time we saw the trailer, I noticed Cameron Diaz {who reprises the role of Miss Hannigan} wears some amazing braided hairstyles! This Double Frenchbacks hairstyle is one that we see the most in the trailer, and is what we will be showing you how to create today.

To see your own photo recreations featured in our CGH App, feel free to tag your own photos of this hairstyle on IG with: #CGHDblFrenchbacks

We’ve shown you a tutorial for a Single Frenchback on Rylan from way back in 2012. This double version uses smaller sections, and a much tighter stitching, which gives an amazingly-beautiful accent to either straight or curly hair!

Begin by sectioning of a rectangular section of hair right between the two eyebrows, to the crown of the head…

Now divide that section in half right up the middle, leaving you with two equal-but-thin rectangular sections of hair…

Clip one of those sections out of the way with an alligator clip, and use the other clip on the opposite side of the hair {not the to-be-braided section, but the remaining hair} to keep it from accidentally being added into the braid…

Now begin a regular French braid on your first section, making sure to begin the stitching with thin strands, adding in little pieces into the braid as you go so that the braid defines immediately near the forehead {if you use too large of strands, the stitching will not be seen until half way back}…

When you run out of hair to add into that section, continue on with a regular braid and add an elastic to keep the hair from unbraiding…

Go back and unclip the remaining section, and French braid is just as in Step #4…

This time, when you get to the end of the braid, combine both braids together…

You can use a barrette here, to secure the braids, as Cameron Diaz has in the movie, or you can cross 2-3 bobby pins as an alternate way to secure…

Now remove the elastic from your first braid and unravel it…

Gently back-comb right at the base of the remaining hair from the braids, and allow the hair and waves to fall naturally, adding a bit of volume to the crown and back of the head…

Add hairspray {if desired}.

Hope you enjoyed this DIY Double Frenchbacks hairstyle tutorial! Now that you know that Annie is one of my favorites, which movie is yours? Please leave a comment below!

Happy Hairdoing!

Ever wanted to try an Oreo Challenge? This is a super fun activity that is perfect for Family Night, and my twins BrooklynAndBailey show you how to run one in the video below. It’s funny to see them try to guess the flavors! Bet you can’t guess which twin won the challenge {click below to see}!

November 23, 2014

Many of you know that were are HUGE fans of The Hunger Games books and movie franchise!

We’ve been friends with Linda Flowers, the Department Head of Hair & Makeup for both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire movies ever since we first put up the Katniss braid years ago. Since Linda had a contract for Dancing With The Stars, she was unable to work on the Mockingjay movies, with Lionsgate instead hiring Camille Friend. Camille is just as talented, and her team did an amazing job trying to have the hair reflect the mood of the war-trodden State, as in the book.

Katniss’ braid in this 3rd movie isn’t supposed to be focused so much on style, as her time in the Capitol and in the Games merited. This time around, Panem is at war, with a growing rebellion movement, and the look is supposed to fully reflect that.

Things aren’t as they once were, and that’s why there is a fundamental change in the Katniss braid.

Katniss still wears a side braid, which as Linda told us is to ensure that she doesn’t snag her braid as she removes arrows from the quiver on her back. This time around, the wrapping braids from the left and right are French braids instead of Katniss’ signature Dutch braid.

To see your own photo recreations automatically featured in our CGH app, feel free to tag your own photos of this hairstyle on IG with: #CGHMockingjayBraid {There are already several braiders who have gained 1000’s of IG followers simply by having their recreations seen by our 350,000+ app users!}

For the side braid, the stitching looks very similar to a Simple braid, however it really is a chunky Reverse Fishtail. The look is also supposed to be somewhat messy and disheveled, which is the look we were going for. {The wind and rain in our trailer video shoot certainly helped with that!}

Begin by adding curls to the hair, for the base texture, using a 19mm curling wand…

Part hair slightly off to the right so that heavy side of the hair is on the person’s left, then section out a few wispy strands to frame the face on both sides…

Starting in front of the left-most ear pick up a section, separate it into three strands, and begin a regular French braid…

Add in hair as you go along, keeping the braid as close to the hairline as possible…

As you braid past the middle of the head, almost to right behind the right ear, stop adding in hair and continue with a few stitches of a regular braid and temporarily secure with an elastic…

Now, on the other side of the head, pick up the hair above the right ear, and begin a regular French braid, again, following the partline…

Continue this braid backwards and down until you reach the other braid…

With the elastic us used temporarily to secure the first braid, now secure both braids together with that same elastic as close to the back right-most corner of the head…

Next, with the combined section, divide it in half and begin a Reverse Fishtail braid…

You do this by taking a sizable strand of hair from one side and take it under the hair and add it to the section on the other side…

Now take a sizable strand from the left-most section, take it under that side and add it into the right section…

Continue with Steps #10-11 until the reverse fishtail braid is completed…

Secure with an elastic…

Now go back and cut the top elastic with a pair of scissors,to loosen the hair and allow the braid to easily sit over the shoulder…

Add hairspray or accessory {as desired}.

We hope you check out the rest of our Hunger Games hairstyles, and be sure come back next week for another tutorial from Mockingjay!

Happy Hairdoing!

My twins, BrooklynAndBailey, began a new YouTube series called Fab or Fail, where they try out products you have seen on TV! The first episode reviews the RoseArt Graphic Skinz Design Studio. To see how the product rated on the girls’ Fab or Fail Scale, simply click below!

September 21, 2014

This past week, my niece, age three, who also had such beautiful, long curly hair, was playing at a friends house when the little friend decided to give her a “hair cut”!

This has to be one of every parent’s nightmares! We’ve all been there, now knowing that for little girls hair, the sworn enemies are… kids scissors and gum!

My niece now has a super adorable, chin-length bob haircut. To help my sister-in-law feel a little better, we decided to upload a short hairstyle today! We are showing you how to create a Laced Fishtail Tieback!

This is a beautiful braided combo hairstyle that will look amazing if the hair has natural highlights in it. Fishtail braids are right on trend today, so this combo is sure to get you compliments!

I originally tried this style with two lace-backs, but found that they winged out too much on the sides when I pancaked them. The only solution was to pin the braids down, but I didn’t like they way that looked.

After playing around for a few minutes, we decided to start each side with a few French Braid stitches to anchor the two braidbacks. This trick worked perfectly!

If you would like to see your recreations of this hairstyle featured in our CHG App, feel free to tag your own photos with: #CGHLaceFishtailTieback

This hairstyle is versatile and perfect for girls with short hair, medium hair, or long hair. It can also be worn for any occasion, including sports, with straight hair or curls, too!

Step-by-Step Instructions: {Optional} Begin with straightened hair, or, if short, flip the hair out with a flat iron…

Begin by parting the hair slightly off to one side…

Now pick up a small section of hair near the front part, on the right side of head…

Divide this section into two strands, and begin a French Fishtail stitch pattern {this step is essential, as the French stitching is what will anchor the Lace Braid down}…

As you braid back, add in small sections of additional hair, and then grab the outside edges of the fishtail sections before crossing over…

Repeat this process on both sides of the fishtail for about 2 -3 inches…

As you near the ear, stop adding hair into the bottom and only add in hair from the top side of the braid braid {this creates the Lace Fishtail}, and braid around the back of the head using this pattern…

When you reach the midway part of the back of the head, secure the braid off with an elastic…

Repeat Steps #3-7 on the other side of the head…

Once you have both fishtails in place, combine them carefully together in the back {if you have short hair, you may need to tuck the middle down a little so that it doesn’t stick up}…

Secure the braids together with an elastic…

Go back and gently tug on the bottom edges {pancake} of the lace fishtail to allow the stranding to pop out…

Add hairspray and accessory {as desired}.

Please feel free to leave a comment below letting us know what you think of this Laced Fishtail Tieback!

Happy Hairstyling!

Brooklyn and Bailey met up with their good friend Chelsea Crockett and filmed a fun 2-part tag series on each other’s channels.

The twins uploaded this 7-Second Challenge on their BrooklynAndBailey YouTube channel, and Chelsea uploaded the Whisper Challenge on her channel. Watching both videos reminds me so much of the slumber parties I used to have with my friends when I was their age! Have fun laughing!

August 31, 2014

Want to see hairstyle photos from before our CGH days? Click through and LIKE our Facebook page, then feel free to view our albums there! Some photos go as far back as 2002!

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Everyone is always asking for hairstyles that can be worn for sports, or anything athletic. The activities range from soccer, cheer, dance, gymnastics, softball, track, etc.

Well, I am a huge Lulu Lemon fan, and follow the company account on Instagram. This past week I saw this hairstyle pop up on my Instagram feed, so I just had to learn it and teach all of you!

So, today, we are going to teach you how to create a Run Braid Combo!

To see your recreations featured in our CGH App, feel free to tag your own photos of this hairstyle with: #CGHRunBraidCombo

If you know how to create French and simple braids, then you really are good to go for this hairstyle! It is one that will keep the hair pulled out of your face, and off of your neck during those practices and games.

This hairstyle does not have to be limited to sports, though. Dressed with a cute t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, would look adorable, too!

We are calling this a combo because you are combining several different braids into the hairstyle… French, simple, and rope. You can swap out any of these, and make several other beautiful combinations using Dutch, Lace, or Fishtail braids!

This hair style happens to be one of Brooklyn’s favorite braids right now, and leads to absolutely gorgeous 2nd-Day Curls the next day!

July 13, 2014

Today’s hairstyle is inspired by the combination of the Diagonal Bow Braid and the Zipper Braid. Brooklyn volunteered to be my model, because she loves these kinds of braids.

This hairstyle is called a Diagonal French Loop Braid.

We went with a French Braid as the base, because Brooklyn and I really wanted the loops to be the main feature of the hairstyle. You can also use a Dutch Braid, but I felt it would drown out the loops a bit.

You can also do this style with either dry or wet hair, depending on how “messy” you want the braid to look. We show you how to create this hairstyle with wet hair.

We listed this hairstyle as “hard” in skill level, only because the stranding is difficult to keep track of. Once you have the pattern down, however, you can create this braid in less than 5 minutes.

To see your recreations featured in our app, below this video, feel free to tag your own photos of this hairstyle with: #CGHFrenchLoopBraid

If you are looking to impress your friends, this Diagonal French Loop Braid will certainly do it! I promise! {And it only takes about 10-12 minutes to create!}

Now, take a small section of hair, near the temple, and divide in into three smaller strands…

Begin a simple French Braid by completing one stitch {you will braid down diagonally around the back} …

On the outside strand of the French Braid, the strand closest to the ear, section off a small piece of hair and hand it to someone to hold {or clip it out of the way}…

Pick up some new hair from the bottom {not the piece you just removed} and add it into the bottom strand, like you would in a regular French Braid…

Next, cross the new gathered strand over the middle strand…

Now, on the outside strand nearest the top of the head, again, section off a smaller strand of hair, and hand it to someone to hold {or clip it out of way}…

Add in some new hair to the top section, like you would in a normal French braid…

Cross the entire gathered section of hair over the middle strand…

Go back to the outside edge, nearest the ear again, and section off a small strand of hair and hand it to someone to hold {or clip it out of the way}.

Now reach underneath and grab the first tiny strand of hair you originally handed to her {or clipped out of the way}.

Add that small stand of hair into the original bottom section, while also picking up some new hair to add in…

Cross that entire gathered section over the middle strand…

Repeat Steps #4-13, using the two outside edge strands, over and over again…

After you braid about 3-4 full stitches down, go back and gently tug on the first loops you had created {See video for exact details. This will loosen the loops, and create the fun lacy look you see in the photos.}

Continue this entire process in a diagonal direction across the back of the head…

When you get to the nape of neck and run out of hair to add in, simply continue the same braiding pattern, minus the “adding in hair” step {you will have the same looped/lacy look, but on a simple braid}….

Secure with an elastic, and add hairspray {if desired}.

Please feel free to leave a comment below letting us know what you think of this Diagonal French Loop Braid hairstyle! I am sure you could come up with some wonderful updos using this braid!

Happy Hairstyling!

It is getting hot here in Texas! The girls are having fun finding fun, and healthy, treats to freeze! Right now, they are on a Frozen Banana Pop kick, having lots of fun creating new and delicious recipes for them! This week, they uploaded a DIY tutorial for Banana Pops to their BrooklynAndBailey’s YouTube channel! WARNING, watching the video below will make you hungry…

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About Me

What do you get when you cross 34 yrs of living, 14 yrs of marriage, one HOT husband, five adorable daughters, one handsome son, and tons of great family and friends? Pretty much the sum total of who I am!!